The Other Allen
by MMismyheroLR
Summary: What happens when the child that Mac and Rod thought was dead appears in their life?
1. The Surprise

"Mac?"

Mackenzie Allen looked up from the papers on her desk to see her husband lingering at the door of her office. Well, one of the doors. "What do you need, Rod?" She asked calmly. She smiled at her husband, glad to see him.

"Can you take a break?" He asked tentatively.

"Well, I'm not sure if the President of the United States is allowed to take a break, but I guess I can put this aside for you." She said with a smile. She was in a great mood, and everyone around her couldn't help but notice. Her brown eyes had a certain sparkle to them, and her red hair seemed to bounce with her merriment.

"Mac, we need to talk about something." He said.

She studied her husband for a moment. His light brown hair was graying, which she loved, but today it seemed off. His blue eyes were distracted, full of an emotion she hadn't seen since…well, she didn't want to think about that right now. "Rod, what's wrong?" She asked, finally picking up on his worried vibes.

He sat down across from her chair, a solemn look on his face. "It's about…Cait."

She felt a stabbing pain at her heart, and tried to ignore it. "What about her?" She asked quietly.

"She's alive." He said.

He began to speak, elaborating on what he had said, but she didn't hear him. Not really. All she could think about was her baby girl, the daughter that she had lost. A memory suddenly hit her hard.

It had been two years after she had had the twins. She had been starting to get sick in the mornings, and she'd missed her period the last two months. She took a pregnancy test, and was delighted to find that she was, indeed, pregnant. They had been trying for about a year, but had had trouble. Rod had been just as excited as she was, and they waited for nine months in anticipation.

Then, on May 16, Mac had given birth to a beautiful baby girl. They had named her Caitlyn, and loved her so much. A few days later their baby girl died, and they had been devastated. Mac had been hit hard, and the only thing that kept her from sinking into a depression was Rod and the twins, who needed her.

She loved her deceased daughter very much, but they didn't talk about her much. It was too painful for Mac to deal with, and whenever Cait's name was mentioned she sunk into a kind of depressed stupor, the painful memories always flooding back. Every May 16 she and Rod would visit the cemetery that her body lay in, and Mac would spend the day in quiet prayer.

Rod's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Mac?"

"Yes?" She said, the tears that had suddenly filled her eyes threatening to spill.

"Did you hear me?" He asked.

Mac thought for a moment. Had she heard him? What did he say? "Cait's alive?!" She suddenly asked.

"Kind of." Rod said.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. "Spill it, Rod Calloway. Now!" She demanded.

He sighed and launched into his story. "The baby girl that died wasn't our daughter." He said simply, with a pause before continuing. "There was another woman in the hospital that gave birth to a baby girl the same day we did. Her name, coincidentally, was also Caitlyn. Now, this woman knew that her baby was sick and that there was a good chance that she would die soon after birth. Her doctor had been able to tell from the ultrasound. So she went to a different state to have her baby with a different doctor, so that they wouldn't know about this sickness until it killed the baby."

The pieces were starting to fall into place for Mac, but she continued to listen to Rod anyway. "FAS?" She asked.

Rod nodded before continuing. "When the babies were born, she snuck into the nursery and switched the tag from our daughter's foot to hers and then switched the two babies from their beds so that no one could tell. A few days later, our Cait died, but hers lived."

"But it really wasn't our Cait." Mac said. Rod nodded. "So our daughter is still alive, somewhere out there?" Again he nodded. "How did you find out about this?" She finally asked.

"The hospital contacted me." He said. "They ran across the footage from the night that she switched them. They did their research. They can't know for sure, of course, but they'd like to do a DNA test."

"How could I not have known?" Mac asked, more to herself. "How could I not have noticed the difference when they brought the baby back to me?"

"All babies are born with blue eyes, and they both had full heads of brown hair." Rod said. "Anyone could have made the mistake. I can't believe that I did."

"But I'm her mother, and I never noticed." Mac said, her head falling into her hands. The room was silent for a moment except for her sobs. She finally looked up at her husband. "What about this girl?" She asked. "What if she's our daughter? Then what do we do?"

"I don't know." Rod said. "I just don't know."

.~.

That night, when Mac went up to the residence, she found her mother waiting to ambush her with a plate of cookies and hot chocolate, their tradition. Mac smiled in spite of herself, and gave her mother a big hug. "So, Rod told you." It was more of a statement than a question, because Mac already knew the answer.

"You shouldn't blame yourself, you know." Mrs. Allen said. "It's not your fault you didn't know they were switched."

"I'm her mother. I should have noticed. I should have known that the little girl I was holding wasn't my own." Mac said, shaking her head in disagreement.

Mrs. Allen took her daughter's hand. "Mackenzie, the first time you saw and held your real daughter, you were exhausted. You had just been in labor for thirteen hours. You only held her for a little while, and then they wheeled her off to the nursery. That was when that vile woman switched her. Mac, it's not your fault. It's just…a horrible thing that happened. We can't do anything about it."

"What if she is my daughter?" Mac asked. "What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to pretend as if nothing's out of the normal? Am I supposed to ignore the fact that she's mine? That I'm her mother?"

"You do whatever you think you should." Her mother said softly. "Here's your chance to get your daughter back, to give her a mother."

"She already has one." Mac said. "How am I supposed to take her away from the mother she already has? What if she doesn't want anything to do with me?"

Mrs. Allen sighed and stood up. She walked across the room and grabbed a folder that was sitting on the counter. She carried it back to the table that they were sitting at and handed it to Mac. "Look at this." She told her.

Mac gave her mother a curious look, and then opened the folder. Inside was a picture of a girl with red hair and brown eyes. It was clipped to a sheet of information about a girl named Caitlyn Jones. The facts went something like this:

Name: Caitlyn Rose Jones

DOB: May 16

Age: 15 years old

Parents: Jenny Jones

Hair Color: Red

Eye Color: Brown

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 132

The facts continued, telling Mac the girl's favorite foods, books, music. It told her where the girl went to school, what sports she played (including crew, which was a sport Mac loved), clubs she was in, her grades, people she hung out with.

Mac looked up at her mother. "Rod didn't miss any steps on this, did he?"

"Look on the next page." Mrs. Allen said simply.

Mac continued to read. When she was finished, she looked up at her mother. "Her 'mother' is dead?"

Mrs. Allen nodded. "She was also an alcoholic. This girl hasn't had a mother. She hasn't lived with that woman since she was a baby. She's lived with the woman's parents."

Mac saw the tenderness in her mother's eyes. "If she really is my daughter, I'll need to step up, won't I?"

Her mother smiled. "That's up to you." She said. "You'll have to follow your conscience on that one."

.~.

"Catie?"

Caitlyn Jones looked up from the laptop in front of her. She was in the library of her school, and her friend Morgan was staring at her, a worried look on her face. Catie sighed and sat back against her chair. "Yeah, Morgan?"

"Are you okay?" She walked around the table and sat down next to her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Catie lied.

"You can tell me the truth." Morgan said.

Catie sighed. She knew she could tell Morgan anything, but this was something bigger than anything she'd ever had to tell her friend. Morgan looked at the laptop. "Why are you researching President Allen?" She asked curiously.

Catie sighed again. Should she tell her friend, or should she keep quiet. The president of the united states could quite possibly be her mother, and that scared the crap out of her. "Oh. Um, I was just…doing research for journalism." She lied. "I'm doing a personality profile on her."

Morgan sighed. "We don't have to write a feature story." She said. "Try again."

Catie smiled. "You're good." She said. "If I tell you, you have to promise you won't repeat it."

Morgan held out her pinkies. They crossed each other's arms and linked pinkies. "I promise." Morgan said.

Catie sighed once more. "Well, you know how I've always said that I'm nothing like my family? That I look nothing like them, that I'm not interested in the same things, that I don't have the same views?" Morgan nodded. "Well, there's a reason for that."

"What are you talking about?" Morgan asked.

"This is going to sound crazy, and I don't know if you'll believe me, but I hope you do." Catie said. She began to launch into the story, and Morgan listened with wide eyes. Catie explained how she had been switched at birth, and that she wasn't actually related to anyone in her family. When she was finished, Morgan was silent for a moment.

Then she asked the million dollar question. "Who are your real parents?"

Catie hesitated. Then she pointed to the picture of Mackenzie Allen on the laptop screen. "Our dear president." She said quietly.

Morgan's eyes grew even wider, though Catie hadn't thought that would be possible. "You're the president's daughter?!" She said loudly.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" Catie said, covering Morgan's mouth with her hand. "It's supposed to be a secret."

"Sorry." Morgan said sheepishly. "But, in all fairness, you can't spring something like that on me and expect me not to freak out."

"So you believe me?" Catie asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Morgan asked. "You would have no reason to lie about this. It's just so insane. What are you going to do about it?"

Catie sighed. "I don't know." She admitted. "You know, we aren't sure yet if she really is my real mother. We have to do a DNA test to be sure."

"When is this going to happen?" Morgan asked.

Catie was quiet for a moment. "Today after school."

"Well, we live in D.C. I guess this kind of thing shouldn't surprise me." Morgan said.

"No, probably not." Catie said. "Still, it's not like we could have anticipated something like this. I mean, the president for god's sake!"

"Do you want me to go with you?" Morgan finally asked.

Catie sighed in relief. "I thought you'd never ask." She said.

Morgan giggled and hugged her friend as the last bell rang. She stood up, and Catie turned off the laptop and followed. Morgan grabbed her bag and turned to Catie. "Ready to go get you a presidential mother?"

"Yes, yes I am."

.~.

Mac sighed and leaned back against the seat of the car. Rod grabbed her hand and squeezed. "It'll be fine." He tried to assure her.

They were traveling without an escort for once, because they wanted to do their best to keep it quiet until it was absolutely necessary to take the matter public. After all, they weren't even sure if this girl was their daughter. Well, genetically speaking. But ever since Mac had seen the picture of the girl, she had known without a doubt that Caitlyn Jones was her daughter.

She'd been quiet since she'd seen the folder, thoughtful. It had been a few days, and though she had handled every problem thrown at her with grace, she had been distracted. Rod thanked god that Templeton hadn't been around to see her, but he knew it was only a matter of time before outsiders began to notice.

He knew she had every right to be distracted, but he only hoped that they would figure out how to handle this soon. He wanted his wife back, and since this had been going on, she just hadn't been herself. He hadn't seen this side of her since Cait died, and he knew that she blamed herself for not realizing that the baby they had wasn't their daughter.

"Mac, talk to me." He finally said. "I know you're upset, but I'm your husband. This is happening to me too."

She looked at him with a small smile on her face. "I know it is." She said. And she did. She understood that she wasn't the only one who blamed herself. Rod tried not to show it, but he felt as guilty as she did for not realizing that the girl they held hadn't been theirs. And when she died, it had devastated them. They thought they had lost a child, but, really, they'd never had her to lose.

The car stopped in front of a big yellow house, and the secret service agent in the front seat turned around to look at them. "We're here." He said.

Mac nodded. He got out and opened their door. Rod got out and held his hand out for Mac. She took it graciously and stepped out of the car. She looked at the house and took a deep breath. It was big, obviously a family home. From what Mac had read in the file, Caitlyn lived here with her grandparents. The secret service had done a full background check on the grandparents, and they checked out good. They were good people, and took wonderful care of their granddaughter.

The house had a huge yard, and Mac could just make out a pool in the backyard, and next to it a trampoline. There was a treehouse in one of the big trees in the front yard. It was the perfect white-picket fence house. Rod squeezed her hand and she took a deep breath, and then they made their way up the walk. Before they got to the door it opened, and out stepped an elderly couple.

They smiled warmly at Mac and Rod. The woman, Ruthi Jones, was in her early sixties, but looked younger, as if she belonged in her fifties. Her hair was auburn, and she had soft hazel eyes. Her husband, David Jones, was in his late sixties. His eyes were a striking blue, and his hair was gray and thinning at the top. "Welcome, Madame President." They said warmly.

She smiled, and they invited her in. They led her into their living room, where there was a private doctor set up with needles to take their blood samples. She looked for Cait, trying to be inconspicuous about it, but couldn't see her anywhere. When she looked back, Mrs. Jones was smiling. "She's upstairs." She said. "If you'd like, I can take you to meet her. She's a bit nervous." She offered.

Mac smiled. "I'd like that." She said. She turned to Rod, who shook his head.

"I think I'll just stay here." He said.

She nodded, and followed Ruthi out of the room. David stayed behind with Rod, and they began to talk about sports. Mac smiled, knowing that her husband would love that. Ruthi lead her up a flight of stairs, and Mac couldn't help but notice the family pictures lining the staff. One in particular caught her eye, and she slowed down.

It was of Caitlyn and another girl. They were laughing, and Caitlyn's red hair seemed to sparkle in the sun. They were both wearing yellow dresses, and holding yellow roses. Mac didn't notice Ruthi watching her until she started to talk. "She's with her best friend, Morgan. Morgan's actually upstairs with her now."

Mac looked at Ruthi. Ruthi was surprised to see the hurt in Mac's eyes. "Madam President, what's wrong?"

"She's happy here, isn't she?" Mac asked. "I can't take her away from this. Even if she is my daughter."

"She is your daughter." Ruthi said. "I know it. I can feel it. I'm beyond sorry for what my daughter has done to you and your family, and I'd like to believe that maybe it's wrong, that maybe Caitlyn really is ours, but I know that she isn't. I can feel it. I've known for a long time." She paused for a moment. "Yes. She is happy here. But she needs a mother. It's all she really wants. And that's something I can't give her."

Mac looked at her, curious. Ruthi smiled and continued. "I love my granddaughter very much, but, if you are her mother, take her. Be her mother. It's what she needs."

"Do you really think that?" Mac asked.

"I do." Ruthi confirmed. "I believe it with my whole heart."

"You don't know how much that means to me to hear that." Mac said.

Ruthi smiled and turned. "Let's do this." She said, leading Mac up the rest of the stairs. They were now in a long hallway, with three doors on each side. Ruthi walked down the hall and knocked on the second door on the right. "Cait!" She called. "I have someone here to meet you."

The door opened, and a girl with brown hair was at the door with a smile. When she saw Mac her eyes widened, and she stepped away from the door. Mac's eyes wandered around the room until they settled on a pair of brown eyes identical to hers. They belonged to Caitlyn Jones. She stood up from the giant beanbag chair she was sitting on and smiled. She walked toward Mac and held out her hand. "Madam President." She said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Please, call me Mac." Mac said. "It's great to meet you too, Caitlyn."

"Okay, Mac. And, actually, it's Catie. Or Cait. Not the hugest fan of Caitlyn. In fact, I only hear it when I'm in trouble." Catie looked over her shoulder at her friend. "This is my friend Morgan. She's a little…awestruck." She explained.

Mac smiled. "It's nice to meet you as well, Morgan."

There was an awkward moment of silence. "So…" Morgan finally said. "You might be my best friend's mother."

Mac smiled. "I'm hoping so."

"Really?" Catie asked.

"Yes." Mac said. "I've heard so many good things about you from your grandmother and I'm looking forward to getting to know you more."

"Well, thank you, ma'am." Catie said graciously.

Ruthi smiled at her granddaughter's manners. "So, are you guys ready to get stuck with needles?" She asked.

Catie made a face. "Oh joy." She said sarcastically.

Mac laughed. "So, I'm guessing you don't like needles either?"

"That's actually a bit of an understatement." Catie said with a smile. "I tend to faint and get sick at the sight of needles."

"Oh, thank God I'm not alone." Mac said.

"That seems surprising." Catie said as they began to make their way back downstairs. Ruthi and Morgan lead the way, and Mac and Catie followed. "The first female president of the united states is afraid of needles. I would think you would be made of steel by now."

Mac laughed. "I've only been president for a few months." She said. "It might take a little longer than that to make me Joseph Stalin material."

Catie giggled. They were downstairs now, and they entered the living room again. Mac quickly introduced Catie to Rod, and gave him a meaningful look. She had only just met this girl, but as soon as she laid eyes on her she felt…it was indescribable.

When Cait had died, a piece of Mac's heart had been ripped out. She moved on with her life, and pretended as if it wasn't there, but the whole was always present. But, from the moment she had met Catie, she could feel that hole starting to fill.

The doctor took their blood and hurried out to take it to the lab. They would find out the next morning. When the doctor was gone, they talked for a while before Ruthi stood. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" She asked.

Mac looked at Rod, who shrugged. She looked back at Ruthi and smiled. "I guess I can take a break for a couple of hours." She said. She noticed the huge smile that spread across Catie's face, and stopped one from spreading across hers as well. She didn't know why, but something about this girl intrigued her, and she wanted to know more about her.

Ruthi hurried to make dinner, and Catie offered to give Mac and Rod a tour of the house. "I'd like that." Mac said with a smile, and she followed Catie and Morgan out of the room. Rod was right beside her the whole time, and she could sense that he was as excited as she was about the situation.

Catie showed them the first floor, where there was a huge modern kitchen, a big dining room with a huge table ("We have a big family." Catie explained), and a big recreation room with a TV and big couch that looked comfy and inviting. She then led them upstairs. There was her room, her grandparent's room, two bathrooms (one in the hall and one in the master bedroom), and three guest rooms.

She then took them back downstairs and out to the yard. The backyard was even bigger than Mac had anticipated, and was beautiful. There was a vegetable garden at the edge of the yard, and a flower garden against the house. The pool was big, and so was the trampoline next to it. Catie told them stories of her childhood, and talked about how her and Morgan loved to push the trampoline right next to the pool and jump in.

Ruthi called them in when supper was ready, and they hurried in. Ruthi had made spaghetti, and though it was simple, Mac loved it. "You don't know how long it's been since I've had spaghetti." She told them with a smile.

"Getting sick of the navy bean soup?" David asked knowingly with a smile.

Mac smiled. "Just a little." She said.

She was sad to tell them that she had to leave as soon as they were finished, but the look of disappointment on Catie's face definitely made her day. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning." She said to them.

They said their goodbyes, and Mac and Rod got back in the car. Rod was glad to see that Mac was coming out of the stupor she had been in lately, and was chatting animatedly. Suddenly she became silent, and he looked over at her, worried. "What's wrong, Mac?"

"What are we going to say to the kids?" She asked.

Rod was waiting for this. "Well, I was thinking that maybe we should wait to make sure that she really is our daughter before we sit the kids down."

Mac nodded, thinking. "She's ours, Rod. I can tell."

"Mac, I love you, but you can't know that for sure. I'm hoping that she is, but they could be wrong." Rod said, trying to talk some sense into her.

"Rod, I understand what you're getting at, but I know she's ours. I can feel it. She's our daughter. We'll wait until it's a proven fact to tell the kids, but, mark my words, tomorrow morning that test will come back positive."


	2. The Results

"Mac." Rod shook President Allen awake. "Mac, you've gotta get up."

Mac groaned and threw the covers off. The last thing she wanted to do was to wake up, but she knew she had to. Brightening up, she remembered that they would find out the test results this morning. She hurried to get dressed, and all but ran to the Oval Office.

When she got there she hurried to finish what needed to be done for the morning, and had Laura cancel all of her appointments and meetings. She gave a number that she could be reached at in case of emergency and headed back to the residence. She met Rod there, and the two left in an inconspicuous car, though their security detail was just as big as usual.

They arrived at the big yellow house relatively quickly, and Mac hurried inside, followed by Rod. Ruth met them at the door again, and invited them in quickly. It was only nine o'clock, and they were there a bit early. Ruth led them into the living room and gave them some coffee. "She's upstairs sleeping." Ruth said, nodding her head toward the stairs.

The doctor arrived a few minutes after Mac and Rod, and Ruth hesitated before heading to the stairs. Mac noticed, and approached her slowly. "Anything wrong, Mrs. Jones?" Mac asked.

"I'm thinking that maybe we should find out before we wake her." Ruth said. "In case…in case it's not…"

Mac nodded. "I understand."

"She would be so disappointed." Ruth said. "I just can't…I don't think she would want to find out in front of you." She explained. "She would be so embarrassed, and my guess is that she wouldn't want you to see her wallow."

Mac nodded. "Then let's go find out some good news, and tell her." She said with a smile. They made their way back into the living room, where the doctor was hesitating, holding a manila envelope. Mac sighed and sat down next to Rod. He grabbed her hand and squeezed.

The doctor pulled the results out of the folder and looked at them. He looked up. The moment in which he paused seemed like the longest moment of her eyes, and she stopped herself from screaming at him to just hurry it up. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Congratulations, Madam President." He said. "She's yours."

Mac didn't hear anything else. All she could feel was her joy, and she couldn't wait to see how Catie reacted. She couldn't help herself, she stood up and hugged the doctor, and then Ruth. David and Rod shook hands, and the room was filled with smiles.

They waited a few minutes, and then David and Ruth sat Mac and Rod down. They saw the doctor off, and then sat down across from them in the living room.

"Madam President, Mr. First Gentleman, we need to discuss how this is going to work." Ruth said.

Mac nodded and smiled. "I figured we would have to soon." She said.

"We're open to almost everything, but we didn't know what you two had in mind." David said.

Mac sighed and looked at Rod. She looked back at the older couple in front of her. "To tell you the truth, we hadn't really discussed it." She said. "We've just been focused on making sure that she really is our daughter. And, just so you know, I couldn't be happier with how the test results turned out."

Ruth gave a small smile and nodded. "We understand that you need some time to think." She said. "And take all the time you need. I'm sure you have a very busy schedule. But, we want you to know, we just want what's best for her. We know she's not biologically our granddaughter, but we love her just the same. If being with you is what's best for her, and I think that may be the case, then we will support it wholeheartedly."

Mac nodded. "Believe me, Mrs. Jones." She said. "I only want what's best for her as well. And I'll do everything in my power to make sure that no harm, physical or otherwise, ever comes to her."

Ruth smiled. "I know you will." She said. "So, are you ready to go tell your daughter?"

Mac took a deep breath. "Wow." She said. "My daughter. That'll take some getting used to."

Ruth smiled and stood. "Mac, would you like to tell her?"

Mac looked at Rod, who nodded. "I'd love that." She said, looking back at Ruth.

Ruth led her up the stairs, and down the long but almost familiar hallway. After all, this was the third time Mac had seen it. Ruth paused at the door. She turned to Mac. "I love this girl with my whole heart." She said.

"I know." Mac said softly. "This may be hard to believe, but so do I."

Ruth nodded. "I'm a mother." She said. "I understand." She opened the door and motioned for Mac to enter before her. Mac made her way into the room. Her eyes immediately found their way to the sleeping figure of her…daughter. Ruth slid past Mac and sat down on the bed. She shook Catie gently awake. "Cait…darling, wake up." She said.

Catie began to wake up slowly, but looked immediately alert when she saw Mac. "Madam Pres…Mac." She said with a giant smile. The smile wavered as she remembered. "Oh." She said softly. "Is the doctor here yet."

"He left." Ruth said. She stood up, and Mac made her way over to the bed.

"Morgan!" Catie said to the sleeping figure next to her. She shook her friend awake, not as gently as Ruth had been. "Wake up, sleepyhead!"

Mac smiled, thinking of Amy. That sounded a lot like something her youngest child would say. Morgan opened her eyes and saw Mac, then jumped up. Mac smiled as Catie looked back at her, expectant. "Caitlyn Rose Jones," Mac began, "I am your mother." She held out her hand as if to shake Catie's.

Catie ignored the hand, and jumped into Mac's arms, giving her a big hug. "Hi, 'Mom'."


	3. The Decision

A few hours later Mac was in the Oval Office, trying to work. The trouble was, she was having a hard time focusing. She often found her mind wandering to…her daughter. She smiled again, and then shook her head and tried again to get her mind on the paperwork in front of her.

After a few minutes she decided it was a lost cause and stood up, stretching her muscles. She sat down on one of the couches and took off her glasses, placing them on the coffee table in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and sighed, leaning against the back of the couch.

She started to think, wondering what they were going to do about Catie. Mac wanted nothing more than to just bring her immediately in to the white house to live with them, but she knew she had to think it through. There were so many other things that would go into it. Mac had to think about her family, her children, the press, the entire nation. She knew the press would go wild about the whole situation, but, if they approached it the right way, they might be able to twist it to their advantage.

She also had to think of Catie herself. Catie had lived with her grandparents for years. She was used to their way of life. It was home. Mac didn't want to take her away from her home. Unless that's what she wanted, of course. Mac shook her head, so confused.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in." She said.

Vince entered slowly, hesitant. He obviously didn't want to disrupt her. i_Have I really been that distracted?_/i She wondered to herself. "The First Gentleman is here to see you." He informed her.

"Let him in." She said. She saw him hesitate, and she figured that telling her Rod was here wasn't the only reason he had come in. Usually he would have just let Rod in. "Is there anything else?" She asked him gently.

"You have a meeting with the cabinet members in an hour." He informed her. "And…"

"What is it, Vince?"

"Madam President, are you okay?" He finally asked. "You've seemed…distracted. Down, somehow.."

Mac nodded with a small smile. "I have been down." She said. "But I'm better now. I might still be distracted for a while, but I'm a lot better."

"Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking…" Vince trailed off.

She smiled. "I can't tell you right now, Vince, but, believe me, you'll know soon enough."

He nodded and exited the room. Rod entered a minute later, shutting the door behind him. He made his way slowly across the room, and sat down on the couch across from her. "Mac, we need to talk." He said.

Mac nodded. "Yes, yes we do." They were quiet for a moment, each waiting for the other to speak first. "You go first." She said. "I want to see where you stand."

Rod nodded. "I want her to live here, if possible." He stated simply. "I want to get the chance to know my daughter. Christmas is coming soon. I'd like it if she were able to spend it with us, to see our traditions." Mac nodded, waiting for him to continue. "I know it'll be hard, and I know the press will go crazy, but she is our daughter. If it's what she wants, she should live with us."

Mac stood and walked to her husband. She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. He chuckled. "I guess you agree?" He asked.

"Without question." She said. They were quiet for a moment, content just to sit with each other. "We have to tell the kids." She finally said.

Rod nodded. "Yeah. We do." He said. "Can we sit them down tonight?"

"I'll have Vince clear my schedule."

"Then we'll have her over to meet the family, then we'll talk to her about what she wants." He said. "Then we'll have to tell the press."

"Of course, we have to tell senior staff members first." Mac said.

Rod nodded. "Yes." He said.

She looked at him. He smiled. "So we're really going to do this?" She asked. "We're really going to raise a fourth child?"

Rod nodded. "Yes. Yes we are. She is ours, after all."

"How do you think the kids are going to respond?" Mac asked out of the blue.

Rod shook his head. "Horace…he'll be okay with it, I'm sure. It'll probably delight Amy as long as she knows that it won't make you love her any less. Becca's the only one I'm worried about."

"Me too." Mac said. "She's not going to be happy about it. I just hope that she'll get used to the idea."

.~.

"Becca." Mac said, knocking on her daughter's bedroom door. "Becca, could you come into the living room? We're having a family meeting." She moved on to Horace's room, and then Amy's. When she had gotten all the kids, she joined Rod in the living room. The kids sat together on the couch, and Mac sat in a chair across from them with Rod standing behind her.

"What's this about?" Becca asked. "I have to do homework." It was obvious that she didn't want to be there, and that she wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Becca, just listen. This is important." Rod said.

Mac hesitated. The twins knew about Cait, but Amy didn't. "Amy, before you were born, when Becca and Horace were little, I had another baby. Her name was Cait, and she died a few days after she was born."

"I had another older sister that died?" Amy asked.

Mac nodded. Becca and Horace looked at each other, and then at their parents. "What does Cait have to do with anything?" Becca asked.

"Cait's…alive." Rod finally said after Mac hesitated.

"What?" "How is that possible?!"

Mac and Rod waited for them to quiet. Mac looked at Rod, who nodded and squeezed her shoulder. She looked back at her children, and something inside of her melted. "The little girl that died, she wasn't ours. She was switched with our actual daughter at birth." She explained to them the entire story, and paused before she told them what she and Rod had decided that afternoon.

"So what happens next?" Horace asked. "What are you guys going to do?"

"We want her to live with us." Rod said. "We want to be her parents in every sense of the word. We want her to be a sister to you, a part of this family."

"I'll get another big sister?" Amy asked with delight.

"Yes, baby, you will." Mac said with a smile. "But I want you all to know, I love you all. I know this is going to be hard for us, but we feel that it's the best way."

Horace and Becca were quiet, and they waited for their reaction. Becca finally spoke up. "I guess we don't have a choice in the matter?" She asked.

Everyone looked at her, surprised. She continued. "What, do you expect us to just welcome someone new into the family? As if we don't have to share your attention enough, let's just throw in another person." She stood up and stormed off to her room, leaving Mac behind in tears.

"For what it's worth, I think it's a great idea. I mean, yeah, it'll be hard at first, but she is a part of our family. She deserves to be in this family as much as any of us do." Horace said.

Mac nodded gratefully at her son, wiping her eyes. Amy bounced over and climbed into her lab. "Mommy, if we have another sister, will you love me any less?" She asked quietly.

"Oh, honey baby. Of course not. I love you just as much." Mac assured her, kissing her on the forehead. "But you wouldn't want me to not be a mommy to her too, would you? I am her mommy, and doesn't she deserve to have her mommy like you do?"

Amy nodded. "That makes sense." She said. She gave Mac a kiss and bounced off to her room.

Horace stood up and approached his parents. He patted his mother on the shoulder. "Bec'll come around." He said. "She's just…being her."

For once, Mac didn't rebuke her son for the snide remarks on his sister. He too headed back to his room, and Rod walked around the chair to face her. "Do you want me to go talk to her?" He asked.

"No." Mac shook her head. "This is something I have to do."

He nodded, and she stood slowly. She dragged her feet as she headed to Becca's room, not really sure what she would say to her daughter. She knocked on the door, and when there was no answer, opened it and went in. Becca was faced away from her, lying down on her bed. "I don't want to talk." Becca said.

"Then don't." Mac said coldly. "Don't talk. Listen." She paused for a moment. "I don't really understand why you're so against this, but, frankly, I don't care. I've put up with your crap since we've moved here, and I'm sick of it. I was trying to give you time to get settled, because I understand that this has been hard on you. But I am not going to put up with it any longer. I am sick of your griping around. This girl is your sister, however you may feel. She is my daughter too. And I'll be damned if I ignore that fact just because you're feeling jealous."

Becca turned around and looked at her mother coldly. "Why would I be jealous of her? It sucks enough being your daughter. In fact, I feel sorry for her. She has no idea what she's getting herself into. Instead of having a mother, she'll have a president."


	4. Telling the Staff

A few days later, Mac and Rebecca still weren't speaking. Rod kept pressing for Mac to tell him what had gone down between the two of them, but she refused to talk about it. She didn't want to go through all of it again. She was having a hard enough time trying not to think about it, and she wasn't ready to live it again when she told Rod.

Becca, of course, was her usual mopey self. She cringed at any remark of Cait, and she avoided her mother altogether. Whenever her father tried to bring it up, she quickly hastened out of the room. She ignored all the questions Amy posed about their sister, and whenever Horace tried to talk some sense into her, she went off on him and slammed her bedroom door in his face. She even refused to talk to her grandmother, and she spent most of her time locked in her room with the music blasting.

Three days after they had told the kids, Mac decided that it was time for the family to meet Cait. Whether or not Rebecca was happy with the idea, Cait was still a part of that family, and she was still going to be a part of that family. Mac couldn't fit any time to go over to Cait's in her schedule, so Rod offered to go instead.

Rod hopped into one of the black cars with a few secret servicemen, and, thankfully, no escort. The ride to Cait's house was shorter than it usually was, and he guessed it was because he didn't know what he was going to say to her. He knew that he was glad this was happening, but he couldn't help but be worried. What if Becca was absolutely horrible to her? What if the press tore her to pieces? What if...he stopped himself before his thoughts turned ugly. But he couldn't help the last thought that went through his mind. What if she decided that it was more trouble than it was worth, and went back to her simple life with her grandparents?

When he got there, her grandparents ushered him in, and Cait hurried down the stairs with her best friend in tow. It seemed that the two were inseperable, he noted with a smile. She greeted him warmly, with a hug and a big smile. They sat down on the couches in the living room, and made small talk until he finally got up the courage to approach the subject.

"Cait, how would you feel about having dinner at the whitehouse tonight?" He asked.

He watched as her eyes grew wide and her mouth spread into a wide smile. "That would be wonderful." She said.

"Good." He said with a huge smile. "The rest of the family is all very eager to meet you." He said.

Her eyes shined at the thought, and he felt a momentary flash of guilt. Not all the family was eager to meet her. He pushed aside the thought. It wasn't as if there was anything he could do about it. He could make Rebecca behave and treat Cait with respect, but he couldn't make her want Cait in the family.

"So we'll have a car come and pick you up at say...sixish, and then you can come over to meet the family. It'll be a private dinner in the residence, of course, nothing big, just a family dinner." Rod said.

"That sounds great." She said. She had to admit that she had been worried when she hadn't seen them in three days, and she was worried that even though they were her parents, maybe they didn't want her to be a part of their family. But if they wanted her to come for dinner and meet the family, that must mean that they wanted her to be a part of the family. Right?

She couldn't be sure, but she was hopeful. Very hopeful. And not just because Mac was the president. That wasn't it at all, though she could see why someone might think that that would be it. It wasn't. All of her life, the only thing Cait had ever really wanted was a mother. She loved her grandmother, but it wasn't the same.

Even when Cait's mother had been around, she hadn't been very much of a mother. She had been good at making Cait feel worthless, and Cait had always wanted a mother for the simple things that mothers did. So when she found out about Mac, though she was a tad nervous that she was the president, she was delighted that she might have a chance to have a real mother for once in her life.

Rod smiled at Cait's obvious glee. He had been a little worried that she would think it was all going too fast, and he was glad to see that she wanted to be a part of this family.

They chatted for a few more moments, and then Rod excused himself and told Cait that he would see her at dinner. She gave him another big hug and he hurried back to the car, the agents right behind him. It was time for them to tell senior staff members. They would defenitely need help getting her into the whitehouse without anyone knowing.

They didn't want to sneak around, but they didn't want the press to know just yet. They wanted the element of surprise, and they would need the help of the staff to know how to go about the situation. But, as the car sped through the streets of DC, Rod was sure of one thing. He would do whatever it took to make that girl a part of his family.

.~.

Mac was doing paperwork, as usual, when the senior staff members started filing in. Rod was sitting on a chair close to her, Cait's file in his lap. He wasn't looking at the file, however. Instead he was going through a stack of pictures that Cait's grandparents had given him of her. Each one made him sadder and happier at the same time. Sad because he had missed out on so much of her childhood, but happy because he was finally getting his chance to make up for that.

When they were all assembled, Jim Gardner eyed Rod warily, though he supposed he should get used to the fact that Mac had made him a part of the senior staff. He knew that she had mostly done it to help her husband's ego. But still, even though Jim wanted Rod to feel important, he couldn't help but feel a little threatened. Rod was a good chief of staff, and Jim didn't want to lose his job. Jim had been hesitant when Mac had first asked him to be her chief of staff, and with good reason. Jim would always be loyal to Teddy Bridges, and he loved the man like a brother. But he was starting to love Mac too. She was calm under pressure, a thinker, and she didn't have to worry about a party, so she did what was right. It was refreshing to see someone like her in Washington politics, and he truly respected her.

Kelly Ludlow waited for them to start the meeting in nail-biting anticipation. She knew the Calloway-Allen family well, and she could sense that something big had been going on behind closed doors. This must be what the meeting was about, because there was nothing big going on in the country that would need a sudden senior staff meeting right now.

Vince Taylor too was anticipating the start of the meeting, though technically he wasn't senior staff. But he was still a big part of this administration, and Mac and Rod thought that he deserved to know what was going on as much as the senior staff did. Besides, one extra brainstormer defenitely wouldn't hurt. Vince, like Kelly, also sensed that something big was happening. He'd been with Mac for years, and he knew that she had been tense about something. Something big.

Mac finally finished with her paperwork and looked at Rod, who nodded. She looked to them with a smile and stood up. "We have some big news to tell you." She said.

Dickie McDonald stood up. "You're not pregnant, are you?" He asked, cutting right to the chase.

Every eye in the room grew wide, with the exception of Mac and Rod, who just looked amused. They all looked at each other, then back at their president. It would make sense. Lately she had gone from happy to sad at the drop of a hat, and they all knew that this was a big announcement.

"Not quite." Mac said. The room let out an audible sigh of relief, and Mac smiled. "At least, I've already given birth to this child." If it was possible for someone to take back a sigh of relief, that would have been the sound filling the room.

"What do you mean?" Jim spoke up, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

Mac looked at Rod. It was his turn to explain the long, long story. She was going to have to do it to the press soon enough. As he launched into their tale, she sat back down in her chair. She leaned against the seat and watched as her staff took in the news. When Rod was finished explaining the story, she stood up and walked around her desk, and then leaned against the front of it, waiting for someone to speak.

"We'll need to go about it the right way to tell the press." Kelly finally ventured.

"We should play up the fact that she was taken from you, and that you were heartbroken when the child you thought was your own died." Dickie said, lost in thought. "It'll help give you sympathy points."

Mac resisted the urge to strangle him. She knew that this kind of thinking was his job, but sometimes it sure as hell got on her nerves. She took a deep breath and looked at Jim. "What do you think?"

"I think it's great." Jim said. "She is your daughter, and you'll be respected for doing your duty as a parent. The country will think it's great that you can manage family drama and a presidency."

"Yeah." Vince agreed. "And, on a personal note, we'll be delighted to welcome another member to this little whitehouse family of ours."

The staff smiled and agreed. Mac smiled gratefully at all of them. "I don't know if you could really call it little, but it touches my heart all the same." She said.

"I'm just glad you're not pregnant." Dickie mumbled loud enough for the entire room to hear. "Wouldn't that be cause for a drop in numbers."

Mac closed her eyes to stop herself from rolling them. Sometimes he could be quite the ass.

.~.

"Catie, it's 5:30." Morgan said. She was sitting on Catie's bed, watching her friend throw outfit after outfit out of her closet and onto the floor. "You're going to have to choose something soon so that I can do your makeup."

"I know." Catie said, throwing yet another thing onto the floor. "I just don't know what I should wear. I want to look my best when I meet my new family. And anyway, it's not like they told me what the dress code would be. I don't know if I should wear a dress, or jeans, or pants, or what."

"You're rambling, my dear." Morgan said with a giggle.

"I tend to do that when I'm nervous, if you haven't already figured out." Catie said.

Morgan giggled again. "Trust me, I've known for quite a while." She teased.

Catie finally settled on a light blue long sleeved turtleneck and a white and blue scarf matched with a gray pencil skirt. Then she moved onto shoes, taking out pair after pair and trying them all on. Morgan sighed and leaned against the wall, picking up the book sitting on the nightstand. "Since when are you interested in the Tudors?" Morgan asked, flipping through Phillipa Gregory's newest tale.

"I don't know." Catie said, distracted. "It seemed like a good topic."

"Henry the 8th, huh? Wasn't he the one who, like, beheaded all of his wives or something?"

"Or something." Catie said with a smile. "He actually only beheaded two. He divorced two, one died, and the last was a widow."

"I never would have been stupid enough to marry him if he beheaded two of his wives." Morgan said scornfully.

Catie smirked. "As if they could say no to the King of England." She said. "Which pair? The black heels or the blue flats?"

"Go with the blue flats, but only if they're the right color." Morgan ordered. Catie held up the flats to her sweater, and Morgan thought for a moment. "Yeah." She finally said, nodding. "Blue flats."

"Blue flats it is." Catie said, slipping them on her feet. She looked at the digital clock, which read 5:45. "Alright, 15 minutes. Ready to do my makeup?"

Morgan set the book aside and hopped off the bed. "I thought we'd never get to it." She said.

15 minutes later Catie made her way gracefully down the stairs. Her hair fell straight to her shoulders, and her makeup looked perfect. The turtleneck and pencil skirt brought out the shine in her brown eyes, and the scarf tied it all together beautifully.

To Catie's surprise, when the car pulled up, Mac stepped out. She hurried up to the door with a few men at her side, and her face lit up when she saw Catie. "Wow." She said. "You look gorgeous."

"I'm not overdressed, right?" Catie asked, suddenly nervous.

"Nope." Mac said. "You're perfect."

And she meant it, in every sense of the word. Catie said goodbye to her friend and grandparents, and headed down the drive with her mother.


	5. Meeting the Family

Catie stepped out of the car and looked up at the Whitehouse, the look on her face one of awe. Growing up in DC, she had seen the Whitehouse countless times, but she had never been this close, and besides, no matter how much she saw it, she always seemed to get the same awestruck feeling. It was the Whitehouse, after all.

Mac got out of the car behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready to see the Whitehouse?" She asked with a smile. Catie nodded, and Mac ushered her up the walkway. She led her to the residence, and Catie took in everything with wide eyes.

Mac walked slowly, enjoying her daughter's appreciation. She hadn't broached the subject of Catie living with them yet, and she didn't think that the Jones' had either. Mac wanted Catie to feel welcome before they moved things along. She certainly didn't want to crowd her and scare her off.

Mac stopped at the door to the living room, where the family was waiting. "Are you ready to meet your family?" She asked softly.

Catie took a deep breath and nodded. Mac opened the door and led her in. Rod, Horace, Rebecca, Amy, and Mrs. Allen were all seated on the couches, watching something on television. Catie noted with relief that they all too seemed to be a bit dressy. Amy was wearing a dress, and Rebecca and Mrs. Allen were wearing skirts. The boys were wearing black pants and nice shirts, so Catie didn't feel overdressed. Or underdressed, either.

Rod stood up and gave Catie a quick hug, and Mac introduced her to everyone. Amy ran over to give Catie a hug, Horace shook her hand, and Mrs. Allen gave her a kiss on the cheek. Mac looked pointedly at Rebecca, who just looked at her.

"It's nice to meet you, Becca." Catie said.

"My name's Rebecca, thank you." Rebecca said harshly.

"Oh. Sorry. It's nice to meet you, Rebecca." Catie said, holding out her hand.

Rebecca just looked at her. Catie's hand fell to her side. "Rebecca." Rod hissed.

"What?" She asked indignantly. "You just want me to pretend that this is all fine and dandy? That we're happy that she's just randomly showing up in our lives? Well, I'm not gonna lie. I think this is stupid and dumb, and it's going to cost you reelection. Although, I guess I should be thanking her for that."

The room was silent, and Catie looked as if she was about to cry. Rebecca just smirked. "I'll be the one to warn you, since everyone is set on pretending that this is the greatest thing in the world. Being the president's daughter sucks. You never get privacy, your mother cares more about the country than you, your every move is watched. If I were you I wouldn't be so eager to join this family. Besides, it's not like all of us want you anyway." She stormed out of the room, and everyone watched her go.

.~.

Over the course of the evening, the dining room was filled with chatter and laughter. When the evening ended, seemingly too soon, Mac walked Catie back outside. The car would take Catie back to her house alone, because Rod and Mac wanted to talk to the kids together. As they stood outside and looked up at the Whitehouse, Mac once again noted that Catie seemed awestruck by the giant building in front of her.

"I had a lot of fun tonight." Catie said, coming back down from the clouds. "I felt really welcomed."

"Good." Mac said. "You're always welcome here. You're a part of our family." She stopped herself from going on, knowing that she and Rod had agreed not to talk to her about moving in until they'd talked to the rest of the kids first.

"I'm really glad to hear that." Catie said. They stood there for a moment, smiling at each other, until a secret serviceman approached them.

"Ma'am, the car's ready." He said.

Mac nodded and smiled at Catie. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Catie said. "Morgan'll be waiting to hear all about my dinner at the Whitehouse."

Mac smiled and hugged her daughter. "I'm really glad you're my daughter." She whispered.

"So am I." Catie said, hugging her back. Catie pulled away and got in the car, and Mac waved until the car was out of sight. She headed back up to residence, walking quickly. Tonight was the night that they would decide whether Catie would move into the residence with them, and Mac felt like she had never wanted anything so badly in her life.

.~.

No more than twenty minutes later, the entire family was again seated in the living room. Mac and Rod sat down across from the couch, where Mrs. Allen and the three kids were seated.

"So..." Mrs. Allen said.

"We want Cait to move into the residence with us." Mac said, cutting to the chase. "We've told the senior staff about her, and we're coming up with a plan to tell the press about her. After they're informed, we hope that she'll be able to move in and become a true member of this family. But we want to know what you guys want. You're all a part of this family, and you all have a say in what goes on."

"So if we were to say that we didn't want her here, would you keep her away?" Becca asked quietly.

Horace looked at his twin sister and rolled his eyes. "Don't say we, Rebecca." He said angrily. "Say I. Because you're the only one who feels that way." He turned back to his parents. "I like her." He said. "She's nice, she's sweet, she's funny. And she looks just like you, Mom. I want her to be a part of this family. I want her to live here. With us."

"So do I." Amy said. "I like her. She makes me laugh."

Mrs. Allen nodded. "She's just like you, Mac." She said. "I think she belongs here."

Rod smiled, and everyone looked expectantly at Rebecca. She sighed. "Look, it doesn't even matter what I think." She said. "Everyone else wants her here, so it looks like she's going to be here. No matter what I say. So let's just pretend that this is all going to work out. I promise I'll be dutiful."

Mac shook her head and bit back her response. She hated it when Becca said she'd be dutiful. It just made her sound condescending and irritated the hell out of everyone in the room.

"You know what, Rebbeca? I'm done. I don't care what you think anymore. All I care is that you treat your little sister with respect when she moves into this house. Because she is moving in. She's a part of this family, and we're going to tell the press. I don't understand why you don't like her, but frankly, it doesn't matter. She's your sister. That's all that's important. We don't turn our back on our family."

.~.

Horace knocked on Rebecca's door. "Go away!" She yelled. He ignored her and opened the door. She was seated on her bed with her spanish book in her lap. "What do you want, Horace?"

He sat down on the edge of her bed and searched her face. "How can you not like her, Becca? She's a total sweetheart."

"Is she really? Or is that just how she acts?" Becca asked harshly.

"Becca, she seems really genuine." Horace said. "I really like her, and I can't see how you don't."

"Maybe it's not her, okay Horace?" Becca said, a hint of desperation in her voice. "Maybe it's the fact that our mother seems to like spending time with her so much more than she likes spending time with us."

"Becca, you're not being fair." Horace argued. "Mom doesn't love us any less. And in her defense, she's spent years with us. We've been with her our entire lives. She's been able to watch us grow, to raise us, to be with us all the time. She didn't get that with Cait. Instead she was informed that she has a 15 year old daughter that she thought was dead. And now she wants the chance to be the mother that she should have been to her this entire time. It's not fair that we should stop her from being a mother to her child. To do so would just be..." He trailed off.

"What, Horace?" Becca asked. "What would it be?"

"Selfish." Horace said. "It would be selfish. And Mom and Dad didn't raise us to be selfish. So you're going to have to put your jealousy aside and be a sister to this girl. She deserves that much."

"I don't owe her anything!" Becca yelled.

"Yes, you do." Horace said. "You owe her your love and respect."

"Why? Why do I owe her anything?" Becca asked.

"Because you've got to spend your entire life being loved by our mother. So have I, and so has Amy. But she hasn't. She's spent her entire life thinking that her mother was a mean drunk who hated her and wished she had never been born, when the truth was that her real mother would have given anything for her to be here with us. We've been able to cuddle with Mom on the couch, and she's been able to ground us when we've done something wrong, but Cait has never had that. And we owe it to her to show her that she still can have that." Horace said.

Becca stayed quiet, refusing to answer, and Horace sighed. "Fine, don't listen to me. But listen to your conscience, Bec. Do what you know is right."

.~.

The next morning, Catie and Morgan were in Catie's room, giggling at something on Catie's laptop screen. "Charlie bit me." They mimicked. "Hahahahahaha."

"Cait, you have someone here to see you." Ruth said, knocking on the door and opening it. "Go on in, dear."

Catie and Morgan looked up as Rebecca entered the room. Catie's jaw dropped. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

Morgan looked from her friend to Rebecca, question in her gaze. Catie looked at her friend. "This is Rebecca." She said. "Rebecca, this is Morgan."

Recognition flashed in Morgan's eyes, telling Rebecca that Catie had told her what happened. Morgan climbed off the bed. "I'll give you two some privacy." She said, following Ruth out of the room. She closed the door behind her.

Rebecca stood there awkwardly, not quite sure how to say what she had come to say. She hadn't told anyone where she was going, but her detail had been glad to take her here. "Caitlyn, listen..." Rebecca started.

"I am." Catie assured her.

"I'm sorry about what I said. I had no right to treat you so horribly."

"So why did you?"

Rebecca sighed. "I'm scared." She admitted. "I'm scared that having another sibling is going to take her even more away from me." Catie opened her mouth to speak, but Rebecca held up her hand to stop her. "No, please. Just listen. I love my mom...our mom, so much. She's my hero, but don't you dare ever tell her that. I wasn't lying last night. It's hard being a president's daughter. All that stuff is true. But I didn't tell you what's great about being Mackenzie Allen's daughter. She's funny, she's sweet, she's protective. If someone hurts you, she'll take care of it. She's supportive. If you ever have a problem, she'll be there to listen and help you in a heartbeat. She's amazing, and she would do anything for us. And it's not that I don't want you in our family. I do. I think having another sister would be great. It's just that sharing my mother with anyone else isn't so great."

"Rebecca, I'm not trying to steal your mother away from you." Catie said. "I hope you know that."

"Of course I do." Rebecca said. "And I wasn't being fair. I know now how wrong I was to treat you that way, and I want to start over again. I want to be a sister to you. Can we do that?"

"Sure." Catie said.

"Okay." Rebecca said with a smile. "Hello, my name's Rebecca. But you can call be Becca. Most everyone does anyway."

Catie giggled and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you Becca. My name's Caitlyn, but everyone calls me either Catie or Cait. Whichever you prefer is fine. But I'm not the biggest fan of Caitlyn."

Rebecca smiled. "Catie it is."

They shook hands, somethign that seemed to signal the start of their new relationship. Of their sisterhood. They just both hoped that it would last.


	6. Telling the Press

"So what happens next?"

That was the question on everyone's mind. Catie was an accepted member of the Allen family, but what would happen next?

"Well, first we need to tell the press." Jim Gardner said. "And then..."

"Then...?" Kelly asked.

"Then she's free to move in." Mac said.

Jim nodded. "Kelly, what's the best way to approach the press with this?"

Kelly thought for a moment. "A press conference." She said. "You'll want to explain the entire story to the media, and you'll want to release the tape of them beingn switched, and you'll want her to be there with you."

Mac nodded. This all could be done easily. She just hoped Cait would be up for it. "When can you make this happen, Kelly?"

"I can schedule an important press conference for tomorrow, and tell them all that you have an important announcement to make." Kelly said.

"That'll work. Thanks Kelly. Now I just have to prepare Cait." Mac said.

Dickie had been quiet this whole time, something that Mac hadn't failed to notice. "What are you thinking, Dickie?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said. "This is all a good way to approach the situation. It'll get you sympathy points, and if your daughter behaves the right way, you'll get points for taking responsibility of the fact that she is your daughter." He said. "All in all, I couldn't have planned for better publicity."

Mac smiled and shook her head. Sometimes he could be so...Dickie McDonald.

.~.

The next morning, Mac stepped out of the Whitehouse to meet Cait's car as it pulled up the drive. Cait stepped out and embraced her mother. She and Mac made small chitchat as they made their way to the garden.

Mac sat down on a bench and motioned for Cait to sit next to her. Cait sat down and looked at her, a smile on her face. Mac smiled back. "We need to talk." She finally said.

Cait's smile dimmed a little, but it stayed on her face. "Ah, the four dreaded words." She said.

Mac chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not breaking up with you."

Cait giggled. "I'm glad to hear that." She said.

Mac smiled at her again. "We're planning on telling the press, as you know, and then we need to consider what happens next."

"What happens next?"

"We want you to be a part of our lives, Cait. A true part of this family. I've talked to your grandparents, and they agree with us. We want you to move into the residence with us. We want you to be a true part of our family. Your grandparents are going to hand custody over to us, and we're going to be your parents and guardians. If that's what you want." Mac said.

Cait beamed. "Of course it's what I want." She said. "I couldn't have asked for anything better."

"Really?"

"Really. You, know, all of my life, the thing that I've wanted most in this world is a mother. I can't even tell you how many stars I've wished on, how many times it's been my wish as I blew out the candles on my birthday cake. I've seen my friends with their mothers, and I've always known I would give anything to have that. I've always wanted someone who would wipe my tears, who would braid my hair, who would cuddle with me on the couch, who I could talk to about boys, who could help me pick out my prom dress, who would be the first person I call when I get engaged, who would help me get dressed for my wedding, who would be there, holding my hand, as I welcomed my first child into the world. I've always wanted someone who could do that for me, and now I see that I want you to be that person." Cait said.

Mac beamed at her daughter, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I want to be that person." She said. "I want to be there for you no matter what happens. I've missed out on so much of your childhood already, and I don't want to miss a second more."

"Good." Cait said. "Cause you don't have to."

.~.

A few minutes later Mac and Cait headed inside and found their way to the door outside of the press room. Kelly gave Cait a smile and looked at Mac. Mac looked down at her daughter. Rod stepped up and put his arm around his daughter's shoulder.

"Are you ready?" Mac asked.

"Ready." Cait said with a cheeky smile.

Mac squeezed Cait's hand and followed Kelly into the press room. Cait and Rod stayed behind, in the hallway, with Jim, Dickie, and the rest of the family.

"Madam President!" A chorus of voices shouted. The press started throwing her various questions, but she waved them off.

"I have an important announcement to make." Mac stated. "As you all know, family is very important to me. My children are one of my top priorities, and I love them with all of my heart."

"Madam President, where is this going?" A press member shouted.

"Just hear me out, please. Almost sixteen years ago, two years after I had the twins, I gave birth to a baby girl. We named her Caitlyn. A few days after she was born, she died. Or so we thought. About three weeks ago, my husband got a call from the hospital where she was born. They were going over security tapes and came across footage of a woman switching her baby with another. As it turns out, she switched her baby with ours. Her daughter had a disease that her doctor found on the ultrasound, and she didn't want a sick baby, so she took our healthy one. She named her baby Caitlyn as well to add to the confusion. We did a DNA test, and we found that our baby was indeed switched. I'd like to meet my daughter, Caitlyn."

Mac turned around to see Rod leading Cait into the press room, followed by Horace, Rebecca, and Amy. Amy was holding Cait's hand, and Horace had his hand on her shoulder. "Cait is going to become a permanent member of our family. She'll be living with us, and her grandparents have agreed to give us full custody. The tape of the switching, along with an official press release, will be released to you within the hour. Thank you."

Instead of shouting questions at their commander-in-chief, the press members stood and began to applaud. "Welcome to the Whitehouse family, Caitlyn!" A few of them cheered.

Mac hugged her daughter. She was finally getting that second chance.


End file.
